Education through film

I was called by IJP about a job sometime in May, I think it was.

They had a client who wanted to make a film about prisoners with mental health issues. One of the service users of this organisation had died in police custody and they wanted to do something about it - they wanted to make a film which helped to build bridges; to train people involved in the criminal justice system in how to deal with this vulnerable group.

One of the main reasons why I got involved with film-making was to fight discrimination and unfairness. It's kind of hard to do this when you're making a property show in Miami, but I've always tried to maintain a dual existence, where sometimes I just have to work for the cash to feed my kids, and sometimes I'm able to do what I truly love, like this job.

My aim here was to present the three people in my film who were former prisoners as fully rounded human beings, so's whoever was watching the film couldn't dismiss them as one of 'them'. If you can do that, and elicit empathy in the viewer, then the salient points that you're trying to present to the viewer will hit home - they'll want to know how to deal with these people.

So I set out to capture a little bit of what made these characters tick. We only had a two day shoot, but it's all about getting people into situations where they feel comfy. I also looked at ways of filming them where I could use a few special effects - to show their alienation in the past or how it might actually feel to be ill. The next step was to get professionals involved - politicians, psychologists - people who could punctuate what the three characters were saying, who could give an objective overview about 'them'.

When it feels right, when all the elements work together, it's a great feeling. Not because I think I'm a cool guy and I've done a great job - no I'm not saying that! - but because I know people are going to get something out of watching it.

It's all about consumption.


Ed Harrison, Producer/Director, Inside Job Productions

Media to re-engage

Yesterday's article 'Inside Sell Blocks' in the Guardian Society raised some interesting and challenging questions about the nature of prisoners' relationship to employment. The movement from worklessness into sustained employment can be challenging for this group not least due to the significant experience and skills barriers faced. For work schemes designed to increase the chances of employment on release, addressing the various and numerous barriers to employment is key. Building on fundamental factors such as an increased sense of satisfaction, achievement and ownership through work result in increased confidence and motivation. This plays a crucial part in encouraging independence and the effective transition to meaningful employment. Aside from the factory production lines referenced in the article, there exist numerous smaller schemes which operate across the wider third sector to provide individuals with a more engaging introduction to the world of work.

The IJP training scheme aims to build the foundation on which such a transition can be made by engaging individuals with contemporary subject matter in a fresh a creative environment. Today media permeates more areas of society than ever, representing and serving us based on any number of facets through which we identify ourselves. Whether through political motivations, cultural background, taste in music or viewing preferences, there exists a plethora of channels out there through which expression, information and connection can be sought. For trainees exposed to the various aspects of working in a thriving media company, getting hands-on experience in a sector that is both dynamic, involving and which typically overcomes the isolation of circumstance, can be the first step to their engagement with working life.

Louise Brown, Marketing & Communications Manager, Inside Job Productions

More films for good

When I started up Inside Job Productions in 2006 it was really exciting to move away from the old world of broadcast and into making films with a direct social purpose. Ten years of TV and radio had given me some great experiences, like working on a pig farm for a year, filming a mother giving birth and eating worm pie (that was local TV you'll be unsurprised to hear!). But it was time for a change, and I hear the same message from many of the freelancers we work with. It's very rewarding to be making films not just to entertain, but to be used as tools by many brilliant organisations across the third sector.

Now, after three fascinating years, IJP is re-launching with a new website and a bigger team, enabling us to make the same kinds of great films, but for more people. Our fearsomely organised Production Manager, Tracey Blackwood, provides support to all the IJP teams out there filming and editing. And Louise Brown, razor-sharp Marketing and Communications Manager, is making sure that more of the right people are finding out about who we are and what we do.

It's always easier to explain the value of the films IJP makes by giving some examples. 'Coming Back to London' is the fifth film we've made for Blundeston, a prison in Suffolk. Aimed at prisoners released back to London area it looks at resettlement support available in the capital, but also examines the things that might have changed: can you remember London before Oyster cards, congestion charges and a smoking ban in pubs? Our latest commission is for The Refugee Council: we'll be producing a series of films for a new website aimed at supporting refugee teachers who want to teach in the UK, telling the stories of refugees and the schools which employ them.

I'm very passionate about the power of film to effect change as well as simply reflect life; and I'm excited that IJP's expansion will contribute to the use of more films for good.

Naomi Delap, Managing Director, Inside Job Productions